Schnyder von Wartensee Franz Xaver

(18. 04. 1786 - 27. 08. 1868)

Schnyder von Wartensee Franz Xaver

Biography

Franz Xaver Schnyder von Wartensee was born on April 18, 1786, in Lucerne and died on August 27, 1868, in Frankfurt am Main. Franz Xaver was the son of Jost, a French army officer, later councillor of Lucerne, and Maria Emerentia Schnyder von Wartensee. Schnyder learnt to play the violin early upon the explicit request of his father. Using his own initiative he began piano lessons with Peter Hegglin in Lucerne in 1802. He attended college in Lucerne between 1977 and 1805. Schnyder’s father had plans for his son's future as a civil servant and secured him a position as trainee with the Chamber for Financial and Political Science of the Lucerne government subsequent to his leaving college. Schnyder, however, fell ill during this work and quit his position as a result. His first performance as a pianist was in 1806/1807. A talented music enthusiast, he was also cellist in the Association of Swiss Musicians’ (ASM) founding concert on June 28, 1808, in Lucerne. He was violist at the second ASM music festival conducted by Hans Georg Nägeli (1773-1836) during the Autumn of 1809 in Zurich, a concert presenting works by Georg Friedrich Händel and Joseph Haydn. At the third ASM music festival, 1910 in Lucerne, Schnyder collaborated in the organisation and took the timpanist’s part in the performance.

From the end of 1810 until the beginning of 1811 he received tuition in composition from Hans Georg Nägeli in Zurich who, in finding little time to teach him, suggested Joseph Gersbach (1787-1830) who was also able to advise Schnyder on questions in music theory. Schynder became acquainted with the composers Philipp Christoph Kayser (1755-1823) and Anton Liste (1772-1832) while in Zurich. Encouraged by Nägeli, he conducted the vocal quartet ‘Das Grab’ at the Schaffhausen Festival of Music in 1811, the occasion of this debut feature led to congratulations from Carl Maria von Weber. Before the commencement of a long educational trip to Vienna Schnyder joined the ‘Modestia cum Libertate’ loge in Zurich, a society of which Kayser was also a member.

Schnyder intended to study under Ludwig van Beethoven in Vienna but Beethoven merely agreed to examine his compositions. He brought to Beethoven a letter of recommendation from Ignaz Paul Vital Troxler (1780-1866) and a piano sonata dedicated to him by Anton Liste. Instead of under Beethoven Schnyder studied harmonics and counterpoint under Johann Christoph Kienlen (1783-1829), a student of Cherubini, but this was to prove a help only on a technical rather than an aesthetic level. Schnyder integrated himself into the society and musical scene of Vienna through which, for example, he became acquainted with Carl Czerny. When Kienlen became chapel-master of the Baron von Zinnicq’s ‘Hoftheater an der Schwechat’ in Baden near Vienna then Schnyder pursued him. He returned to Switzerland, however, following a great fire on July 26, 1812, which destroyed all his possessions, including his compositions and instruments.

On August 1, 1814, Schnyder married Karoline von Hertenstein (1785-1827) and moved into the family property, Wartensee Manor, on the lake of Sempach. Schnyder accumulated debts in connection with the property, apparently without his knowledge, forcing him to accept the offer of a position as singing teacher at Pestalozzi’s pedagogic institute situated in Yverdon Castle. For the birthday of Pestalozzi in 1817 Schnyder composed a cantata, of which the vocal quartet ‘Der Friede’ and the aria for bass ‘Pestalozzi's Leiden und Verklärung’ were later published. In late summer 1817 Schnyder left Yverdon and travelled, in autumn of the same year to Frankfurt, there he gave private lessons, added Johann Nepomuk Hummel to his list of acquaintances and befriended Ludwig Spohr whom he first met at the ASM music festival in Freiburg in 1816. He founded the ‘Frankfurter Liederkranz’ in 1828 and promoted Hans Georg Nägeli’s views of choral singing. In 1831 Schnyder allowed the pedagogue Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel (1782-1852) to use Wartensee Manor as a reformatory. The same year saw the world premiere of the fairytale opera ‘Fortunat’ on October 2 in Frankfurt. In addition to his extensive travels Schnyder also made a name for himself in Frankfurt through the performance of his oratorium ‘Zeit und Ewigkeit’ in July 1838 within the frame work of the ‘Ersten Deutschen Sängerfestes’. In around 1841 Schnyder entertained the idea of returning to Switzerland and requested a house to be built for him in the vicinity of Lucerne, the house was completed three years later in 1844. Before his return to Lucerne in 1844 he taught, amongst other students, Jakob Rosenhain (1813-1894) and John Barnett (1802-1890) in Frankfurt. In 1847 Schnyder established a foundation bearing his name, a foundation which was to be occupied with the promotion of the arts and science. Schnyder’s significance in the music scene was made apparent by the many honorary memberships bestowed upon him by organisations such as the ‘Musik-Collegium Winterthur’, the ‘Allgemeinen Musik-Gesellschaft Zürich’ and the ‘Musikverein in Mannheim’. Schnyder married Josephine Jahn from St Gallen in 1847 and relocated to Frankfurt where he later died.